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Richard Lugar will not campaign for Richard Mourdock in Indiana

Lugar raised eyebrows in July when he introduced Mourdock to Senate Republicans at a lunch. | AP Photo

By ASSOCIATED PRESS | 9/17/12 5:57 PM EDT

INDIANAPOLIS — Sen. Richard Lugar says he will not campaign for the man who vanquished him in May's Republican primary.

Lugar told conservative Indiana blogger Abdul Hakim-Shabazz in an interview posted Monday that he would not actively support Republican Senate candidate Richard Mourdock on the campaign trail. The six-term senator had previously left the question unanswered. But he raised eyebrows in July when he introduced Mourdock to Senate Republicans at a weekly lunch.

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Mourdock is in a tight race with Democrat Joe Donnelly for Indiana's open Senate seat. Senate Republicans and Democrats are going on air in Indiana Tuesday with new ads and outside groups are spending heavily on both sides.

Polls have shown a surprisingly close race for what would have been a safe Republican seat had Lugar won re-election.

Readers' Comments (10)

Close race I doubt-the polling indicates a Mourdock win is likely in my opinion. As for Lugar, of course he won't endorse. A perfect example of why he was tossed out in the primary. It's all about the politicians NOT the country. Too bad the Democrat voters won't clean house on their end. All I see is an endless stream of race baiting, class baiting, foreign policy inept fools along with financially incompetent trolls to top it all off. As a party, the Democrats are now anti American. I cannot wait for November! Mitt Romney 2012!

Thanks to the TEA party we have the House. Thanks to the Tea Party we will likely take the Senate and the Presidency. You're welcome! You gripe about Akin? I can think of a hundred Democrats who are worse and they get a pass....Heck I can think of a 100 Republicans including Lugar, John McCain and Snowe who were worse. You are living in the past....There is no moderation with Democrats. They are bent on total control. They are destroying the country. They must be defeated. Angle had issues but was defeated by a crooked Union machine. Vegas has the Country's highest unemployment rate to show for it. O'Donnnel was underfunded and undercut by establishment Republicans like Lugar and Rove.